The Cowboy's Forever Family

But he didn’t yell. Didn’t fume.

In fact, he didn’t say a word.

His reaction—or lack thereof—was far more frightening to Laney than if he’d ranted and raved. The fact that he could contain his emotions suggested an entirely unexpected strength of character. The thought would be more comforting if that strength didn’t seem so focused on hating her.

His eyes were spitting fire, his gaze accusing her of a myriad of offenses.

She tipped her chin, unwilling to give him an inch in this silent war of wills. She had no reason to back down. He was the one making all of the incorrect assumptions here, not that she needed to explain herself to him. She’d done nothing wrong.

Anyway, it was none of his business.

“I don’t understand. How was the ranch Brody’s to give?” Slade’s gaze shifted to Carol, and Laney observed the immediate change in his demeanor. Tempered. Respectful. Deferential. Everything he wasn’t whenever he spoke to her. “Not to put too fine a point on it, but doesn’t the ranch belong to the two of you? I guess I just assumed—”

Grant held up a hand to staunch Slade’s flow of words. Slade actually looked relieved that he hadn’t had to finish his sentence. As well he should be.

“We aren’t getting any younger,” Grant explained in a no-nonsense tone. “We spoke to Brody about the ownership of the ranch right after we found out he’d married Laney. He told us he was planning on raising a family here. It seemed only right to pass the reins along while we were still alive to see it.”

Slade winced visibly and Laney wondered what he was thinking.

Carol moved to Laney’s side and placed one arm around her shoulders and her opposite hand on Laney’s belly. It would have bothered Laney had a stranger been so intimate, but she already considered Carol a mother to her. “And now you can see just how right we were to make that call when we did. We couldn’t possibly have known about the baby at the time, but the good Lord had it safe in His hands. Now Brody’s family will be able to live and thrive on this ranch. It isn’t quite the way we envisioned it, but—” Carol’s voice cut out with emotion “—at least Laney and the baby will have the ranch to help get them by.”

“What about y’all?” His question was directed to Carol and Grant but his eyes were on Laney.

She hated how Slade was able to make her feel as if she’d done something wrong when she hadn’t. He had no right to even think such negative things about her, never mind hint his suspicions aloud. She had left a perfectly good career in business management at a large marketing firm in order to honor Brody’s memory and raise his son or daughter the way Brody would have wanted. In the country. On the land. Did Slade imagine she would heartlessly throw Brody’s parents to the curb after all that?

The Becketts were already family to her, and as dear to her heart as her own mother and father. They had welcomed her and embraced both her and her unborn child. They had never once questioned her relationship with their son, as complicated as that had been. She was perfectly aware she owed them more than she could ever repay.

But she would, of course, give them every courtesy she could to make their lives easier in any way she was able. So why did she feel the need to justify herself to Slade?

“Laney has been nothing but kind,” Carol assured Slade, her tone brooking no argument from him.

“I’m sure she has been,” he responded, sounding as if he believed exactly the opposite. “But still—you have to understand why I’d be worried about your future.”

Only the fact that Slade sounded genuinely concerned about the Becketts kept Laney from pelting something at him. He seemed to be missing the point—or rather, all of the points. It was high time to set him straight.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Grant and Carol are staying right here. I may technically own the ranch, but in a very real way they have taken me in when I needed them most. I can never begin to repay their generosity, but I’m certainly going to try.”

Slade brushed his palm across the stubble on his jaw and gave Laney’s belly a pointed look. He appeared to be debating something in his mind.

She tensed, ready for the worst he could give.

His gaze shifted to Carol. Without warning, he strode forward and enveloped the older woman in a big, affectionate bear hug, dwarfing Carol and causing her to giggle like a young girl. “You know I love you both.”

Laney nearly fell off her stool. Of everything Slade could have said or done, verbally and physically expressing his love for this family was the last possible guess she would have made. Who would have imagined that the harsh, judgmental cowboy Laney was familiar with had a soft side? Clearly he held great affection for the Becketts, and to her very great surprise, he wasn’t afraid to express it.

“If y’all are set on accepting Laney into your lives, then I will, too. I’ll show her around the ranch and give her some pointers on country living. She’s got a huge learning curve here, and I’m sure she can use all the help she can get.”

Laney sniffed indignantly. That was all well and good for Mr. Arrogant, assuming she would be doing back flips because he’d conceded to allow her to live in her own home, and had, in fact, offered to help her, whatever that meant.

As if she needed his assistance—with anything. He made it sound as if he was doing her a favor. It obviously never even occurred to the big lug that she might not want anything to do with him. As if it was his decision to make whether or not she was part of his life. No need to ask her what she thought about it.

Even if she wasn’t seven months pregnant, she would in no way be doing any kind of gymnastics over Slade McKenna. Hadn’t he already created enough havoc in her life? Hadn’t he stuck his nose into her business when he had no right to be there and ultimately been the primary cause of the demise of her marriage? Hadn’t he led Brody down all the wrong paths, tempting him with all manner of reckless ideas when Brody most needed to learn to be responsible and to live up to his commitments?

Laney wanted nothing to do with him. Not one single thing.

But when Slade raised his milk glass in a silent toast to her, she realized just how difficult it was going to be to avoid him and all his meddling in her affairs. The Becketts accepted what he said at face value. They clearly adored him, and he filled an extra special role in their lives now that Brody was gone.

Whether she liked or not—and she didn’t, not one bit—it appeared Slade was about to become a permanent part of her life.

Chapter Three

Slade awoke in a cold sweat, thrashing back and forth as he wrestled with the blanket that had somehow become knotted around his ankles. In his mind he kept hearing the eight-second buzzer—a bull rider’s favorite sound and now his worst nightmare.

He groaned and yanked at the stubborn blanket, refusing to let his thoughts go back to the moment that had darkened his life permanently. Unfortunately, his life was about to get even more cloudy, with the distinct possibility of thunderstorms in his near future.

He had a new goal in life, a new mission to fill his time and his thoughts. He had a baby to protect.

If that meant being in the company of Laney Beckett, then so be it. A restless night’s sleep hadn’t made the situation any more palatable, but at least he knew what he should be doing next—getting Laney under Dr. Delia’s care. Hopefully she’d been seeing a doctor all along, taking extra precautions to make sure she and the baby were healthy, but she was here in Serendipity now and Slade trusted Delia, whom he’d grown up with, more than any city doctor he’d ever encountered. Besides, if Laney was sticking around like she said she was going to do, Dr. D. would likely be the one delivering Brody’s baby.

Might as well start out the way he intended to finish—making sure Brody’s kid had the best of everything life could offer. He took a shower and then made a quick phone call as he dressed. It took a bit of finagling, but he managed to get Laney an appointment for late morning as he’d hoped.

His beat-up blue pickup truck rumbled to a start and within minutes he was pulling into the Becketts’ long driveway. Located only a few miles out of Serendipity proper, the Becketts’ ranch bordered Slade’s folks’ spread, which had been one of the many reasons he and Brody had originally become friends. Slade’s two older brothers still worked the land, but Slade had opted to become a cop and live in an apartment complex just off Main Street.

Once he arrived at the ranch, he parked next to a pathetic little silver hybrid, which he assumed was Laney’s. Certainly Grant and Carol would never drive anything so small and impractical. There were more dirt roads than paved ones in Serendipity, especially outside of town. Her ridiculous little car wouldn’t handle the washboard more than a dozen times before breaking down, and he shuddered to think of her driving that flimsy car in a rainstorm.

Slade scoffed and shook his head. The woman now owned a ranch and she drove a hybrid vehicle. What kind of irony was that? She clearly didn’t have the first clue about country living. Leave it to Laney to make all the wrong choices. She really did need his help if she was going to have any hope of making it here.

He rapped twice on the Becketts’ front door to announce himself and then entered without waiting for anyone to answer. He knew Grant and Carol were both early risers, and if Laney wasn’t an early bird then she needed to learn to be. It was part and parcel of life on a ranch. Up with the sun. Starting now.

Instead of encountering Carol and Grant, the first person Slade came upon was Laney. Dressed in garish bright pink sweatpants and a purple sweatshirt that stretched tightly over her middle, she sported rectangular black-framed reading glasses which were perched on the end of her nose, reminding Slade of an owl. Or a librarian. She was stretched out on the living room sofa with a book in her hands.

A romance novel. It figured.

She didn’t appear to have heard him enter the house, or else she was too engrossed in her novel to care. Or maybe she was just ignoring him.

“Hey,” he said, his voice still low and hoarse from sleep. He cleared his throat and waited for her to acknowledge him.

She raised her glasses and glanced up at him, then rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. “Oh, lovely. What are you doing here?”

“Well, good morning to you, too.”

She picked up a mug from a nearby end table and took a noisy sip of the contents. “Can we start over? I’m not a human being until after my second cup of coffee.”

He frowned. It was a good thing he was here to take her to see the doctor, if she was loading herself up with caffeine. He didn’t know the first thing about pregnancy, but he was fairly certain coffee wasn’t good for her.

“Should you be drinking coffee? Isn’t that bad for Brody’s baby?”

Her eyebrows rose as if he’d said something shocking and not simply suggested she take better care of herself and the baby. “It’s just an expression. If you must know, I’m drinking tea this morning.”

He opened his mouth for the obvious follow-up question, but she held up a hand to stave off his words.

“Decaffeinated green tea, full of antioxidants that are good for Baby Beckett. Are you always this pushy?”

He started to shake his head but ended up shrugging a shoulder. “Sometimes.”

When it had to do with the welfare of Brody’s baby.

“Well, cut it out. You’ll quickly discover I don’t respond to bossiness And I don’t like bullies.”

Was she calling him a bully again? She’d probably be surprised to know he was the guy in high school who championed the little guys. He wasn’t a bully—he was the guy who beat up the bullies of the world.

Sooner or later, she’d realize that she couldn’t be more wrong about him. But he didn’t have time to argue about it with her now. They needed to get going if they were going to be on time for the appointment.

“Get up. Get dressed. I’ve come to take you to the doctor.”

“I don’t have an appointment. I’m sure you’re aware I’ve been pretty busy since I arrived in Serendipity. I haven’t even had the chance to go online and find a local OB.”

“Serendipity only has one doctor, and she does everything from patching up skinned knees to delivering babies. That’s why I made an appointment for you.”

She’d been about to take another sip of tea, but at Slade’s pronouncement she sputtered and then inhaled the liquid, sending her into a fit of coughing.

Not knowing quite how to help her but wanting to do something productive, Slade crouched by her side and patted her back.

“Cut it out,” she said when she could speak. She squirmed away from him. “Stop hitting me.”

He dropped to his knees in surprise, leaning his hands on his thighs. “I wasn’t hitting you,” he protested, appalled by the very suggestion that he would hit a woman. “You were choking, and I was trying to—”

“Give me the Heimlich maneuver? Knock the breath out of my lungs?”

He scowled. The least she could do was show a little bit of gratitude, but no. She was ridiculing him, pressing down on his male ego, which was aching to spring back into action and snap back at her.

“My tea went down the wrong pipe,” she informed him, pursing her lips. “I didn’t need your help, thank you. Now, what is this about making me a doctor’s appointment?”

He clenched his jaw. He was about to tell her to forget the whole thing, seeing as she didn’t think she needed his help, but he couldn’t very well turn his back on Brody’s baby, no matter how downright crazy the kid’s mother made him.

“You happen to be especially blessed today,” he informed her, not caring if his tone was cold. She was lucky he didn’t just walk out right now. “Since Dr. D. is the only doctor in town, she’s usually booked for weeks in advance, barring emergencies. Providentially, she had a cancellation for this morning. I convinced her to take that time to see you.”

Laney’s brow lowered. She appeared undecided. “I do need to be under a doctor’s care for the duration of my pregnancy,” she admitted, sounding as if she were saying the words against her better judgment.

Her expression was cringe-worthy, and once again Slade experienced the strong urge to simply get up and walk away. She didn’t need to look as if she was getting a tooth pulled when he was doing her a favor.

“You need to get dressed, then,” he reminded her. “We have a half hour before we have to be there for your appointment. It’s only a five minute drive to Main Street where her office is located, but I don’t know how long it takes you to do—whatever it is that women need to do to be ready to go out.”

She laughed. He raised a brow, but she only shook her head.

What had he said that was so funny?

Women. He’d never understand them and, frankly, he didn’t even want to try. Especially this one.

If it weren’t for Brody’s baby, he’d be out of there so fast Laney’s head would spin. It was asking a lot just for him to be in the same room with her, but for Brody’s kid, Slade would grit his teeth and try to get through it.

“I’m a wash and wear kind of girl,” she informed him, tossing her hair over her shoulder with an animated flip of her hand which to Slade felt like a major brush-off. “I’ll be ready in five. And I’m going to ignore the fact that you just tried to order me around again.”

His gaze widened and he hoped he wasn’t gaping.

“But don’t do it again.”

* * *

“Baby is growing just exactly like he or she is supposed to be,” Delia informed Laney, who breathed a sigh of relief. She had no reason to believe anything was amiss, but it was still nice to know she and the baby were healthy, especially with Slade breathing down her neck. The man simply didn’t know when to leave well enough alone.

“You decided not to find out whether it is a boy or girl?” Delia asked as she rolled up her tape measure. “I did the same thing with my son Riley. You don’t get too many pleasant surprises in life. Having a baby is one of the best.”

“It is,” Laney agreed, tears springing to her eyes as grief clenched her chest so severely that she could not catch a breath. This was a surprise she should have been able to share with her husband.

Delia was instantly by her side, gripping her hand. “I am so sorry. That was thoughtless of me. I should never—”

“No. It’s fine.” Laney laid a tender hand on her belly and felt the baby kick. “At least I have a way to honor Brody. His love continues on through this baby, so how could I ever consider Baby Beckett as anything but a blessing?”

Laney heard a loud thud coming from the waiting room and wondered what Slade was doing that was making so much noise. Probably inadvertently knocking things over with those brawny arms of his like the big boor he was.

The doctor glanced toward the waiting room and chuckled. “Looks like Baby Beckett is not the only blessing in your life. Slade was pretty insistent you get in to see me sooner rather than later. Thought it was important for you to get the care you need, and if you haven’t yet noticed, he’s pretty persuasive when he needs to be. He’s a good friend to have on your side, that one.”

Seriously? Delia must be deluded if she thought Slade could be an actual asset as anyone’s friend, most especially hers. He wasn’t insistent. He was downright pushy. And arrogant. His friendship with Brody had led Brody down a destructive path, one that had virtually destroyed her relationship with her spouse. Even if Brody had lived, Laney wasn’t positive her marriage would have survived despite her prayers and her best efforts. Not with Slade’s influence on her husband. Despite the hastiness of their marriage, Laney had been committed to the relationship. But Brody—

“I guess he’s okay,” she conceded when Delia’s gaze became curious. Okay for what was the real question.

“I imagine he’s a little overprotective of you and the baby. He and Brody were very close.”

“I know.”

“Since they were kids. Those two were inseparable. He took Brody’s death hard—harder than most. I think it’s good for him to have a positive way to direct his energy, looking after Brody’s baby.”

Was that what Slade was trying to do? Insinuate himself into her life so he could have an influence on her baby?

That was so not going to happen.

As if she would ever subject her child to anything more than a bare minimum of time with a womanizing adrenaline junky whose idea of fun was taking crazy risks with his life. Someone with no stability, not to mention his complete lack of understanding when it came to what romantic relationships were all about. He had less sense than the big, shiny belt buckles he wore.

Not exactly mentor material, and not whom she wanted around her child. She was going to be the best mom she could be to Baby Beckett, and that included avoiding people who clearly wouldn’t be good for the child. Nothing Slade tried, either by being his usual overbearing self or by turning his good looks and charm on her, would change her mind. Thankfully, he had not yet tried the catch-more-flies-with-honey tactic with her, but she knew it to be the key weapon in his arsenal, and she suspected if he couldn’t win one way, he’d try another.

She’d learned her lesson about falling for easy charm, and she wouldn’t make the same mistake again. She’d once made an impulsive leap into a permanent relationship based on little more than a wink and a grin, but she was no longer that young, foolish woman—and she had a baby to protect.

Laney heard another thud in the waiting room and Delia excused herself to go investigate. Moments later, Slade appeared in the doorway, his hat clutched in his hand.

“Is everything all right? You’re okay? The kid’s doing well?”

If he hadn’t sounded so sincere—worried, even—Laney would have rolled her eyes. As it was, she reluctantly answered his question. “I’m fine. We’re fine.”

To Laney’s surprise, he sagged in relief. As if he really cared.

“Did you think there’d be a problem?”

He shook his head and then, as if changing his mind, he shrugged. “Maybe. Didn’t know all the particulars. Just wanted to get you checked out.”

“Well, consider me checked. Baby is good to go.” When Slade’s eyes widened, she added, “But not for two months yet.”

He smiled. It was the first time she’d ever seen him smile—at least the genuine article and not the catching-the-eye-of-the-ladies grin he usually sported. Twin dimples carved deeply into his cheeks. On any other guy the dimples would have made him look boyish, but Slade was all man. Which, to Laney, at least, was one of his biggest shortcomings—among many.

“What were you doing that made so much noise out there?”

He shook his head. “Just pacing. The waiting room is too small for comfort.”

Or he was too large.

“He’s kicking right now,” she said, laying a hand against the rib Baby Beckett was currently using as soccer practice and wondering if she should even make this small concession. She suspected Brody would have wanted it, which was the only reason she continued. “Would you like to feel?”

“It’s a boy?”

“Oh, no. I mean, I don’t actually know—I’ve chosen not to find out the gender until I give birth. Saying he/she every time I refer to the baby is getting to be too much of a tongue twister. I should probably just stick with Baby Beckett. It’s easier to say.”

“Yeah,” Slade agreed, his voice unusually deep and thick. “You know Brody wouldn’t have cared if Baby Beckett was a boy or a girl. He would have loved the baby just the same, no matter what.”

“He would have been a good father.” Her throat clogged with emotion. Their eyes met, and just for a moment they mutually shared the one thing they had in common.

Grief.

“The best.” The corner of Slade’s mouth ticked, a tell Laney now recognized as reaction to stress.

“Come here,” she urged, holding out her hands.

He looked reticent, almost shy, as he stepped forward and offered her his hand.

She laid his palm where the baby was moving and the child responded with a swift kick, then another.

Slade’s brilliant blue eyes filled with wonder. “Well, I’ll be.”

“Amazing, right?”

“Amazing doesn’t even begin to cover it.” He shook his head. “It’s hard to believe Brody’s kid is in there, just waiting to come out and say, ‘Hey.’”

Laney chuckled. “I’m not sure that’s the first thing Baby Beckett will say. You never know, though. Could be.”

One side of his mouth kicked up. “Close enough. Two months, huh?”

“More or less. You do know babies don’t necessarily come right on their due dates, right?” She had a clear mental picture of Slade hustling her off to the hospital just because the calendar said the time was right. That was just exactly the sort of thing he would do, exasperating man.

“On their own time, huh?”

“And in their own way. Each baby is different. Their own little person, with a unique personality. One of God’s greatest blessings.”

She half expected Slade to scoff at her for her beliefs, but he nodded fervently and curled the brim of his hat in his fist. “The very best of them. Especially this one.”

“I wish Brody was here.”

Slade’s gaze clouded with pain. He might not be the nicest of men, but there was no doubt he’d cared for Brody.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t keep bringing that up.” She couldn’t believe she was apologizing to him, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.

“No. You’re right. Of course Brody should be here.” He turned away from her and punched at the air. “He should be here. Not me.”

What did that even mean? She understood the sentiment but not the anger.

“I’m sure we’ll both do our best to honor Brody’s memory.”